Joe Sakic knows a lot of the old faithful in the Avalanche fan base broke up with the team in recent years and not just because it lost a lot, but how it lost. He wants to win those old fans back, along with lots of new ones. He knows it won't just be about winning games for that to happen — but how.

In short, Sakic knows there was the perception among fans that the organization just didn't care enough anymore, that there was a disconnect between the messages given to fans off the ice and what was seen on it.

Sakic, the Avs' new executive director of hockey operations, wants everyone to know at least one thing: They care.

"We may not always play well, but our guys will always leave it all out on the ice. They're going to do whatever it takes to try to win that game," said Sakic, a Hall of Fame former captain who retired in 2009. "We want everybody in the community back and excited about what we do, the way it once was. The biggest thing is consistency; we've shown flashes in the past, but now we've got to make it our jobs, every day."

Sakic had great talent as a player, but he became a Hall of Famer through relentless mental and physical dedication to his craft. He didn't take opponents lightly.

While Sakic didn't say it directly, he strongly hinted that kind of attitude might have crept into the locker room in recent years.

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"Perfect example: playing well against good teams and then not perceiving others as top teams, and then having setbacks. It's about consistency," Sakic said. "We want fans to know when they pay to come to the rink that our guys are going to show. You've got to put in your time and work your butt off."

The Avs entered Saturday night's preseason finale against the Los Angeles Kings in Las Vegas with a 2-3-0 record, and most hockey pundits have them finishing in the lower half of the Western Conference again. But Sakic said he has been satisfied so far with the attitude he's seen from players, led by first-year coach and fellow Hall of Famer Patrick Roy.

"The atmosphere has been good. Guys are working hard in practice, and going over new systems. We've been happy with what we've seen," Sakic said.

Roy, whose team opens the regular season Wednesday night at home against Anaheim, said: "Overall, I've liked how our guys have worked. That is (the minimum) that I can ask."

Sakic said he has not been surprised that nobody has worked any harder than Roy.

"He's a worker and he always was. You don't become the best goalie ever — and I'm biased, but I'm saying he is — by not being that way," Sakic said. "And he's always wanting to learn new things, and I think he's getting guys to think that way too. He's always been a passionate guy, but he's there early every day and he's always prepared."

Sakic also knows, though, that Avs fans have heard sunny proclamations before. He knows many of the old fans are still in the "prove it to me" stage.

"We know that, and we're going to do whatever it takes to get things back to the way we want," Sakic said. "We want it as much as the fans, trust me."

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